Support needed to protect Cumbria’s Fells

Landscape conservation charity Friends of the Lake District is launching its 2015 ‘Fell Care Days’. These mass-volunteering events bring together local communities, schools and volunteers to learn about our upland landscapes and take part in practical action to protect them. Last year Fell Care Days took place in Coniston and Grasmere.Since 2011 over 1,400 people have volunteered at Fell Care Days, with participants ranging from five years of age to over 70. Impacts of these days have been far reaching, and outcomes have included over 49,000m2 of woodland work undertaken; 430 native trees planted; 607 metres of path created or maintained; 11 litter picks carried out (including one diving litter pick, four canoe litter picks and six shore based litter picks); 97 bird and bat boxes erected; 5,500 native snowdrops and daffodil bulbs planted, and red grouse, red squirrel and fungi surveyed.

In each instance, Fell Care Days have empowered local people to protect their precious landscapes and keep them beautiful, healthy and biologically diverse. Fell Care Day events officer, Ruth Kirk, said: “Fell Care Days have a massive impact on our landscape, and on the hundreds of volunteers who take part on them. However they are not cheap to run. Each Fell Care Day costs approximately £4,500 to put on. This may sound like a lot but is a fantastic investment in our unique landscapes when you consider we receive over £12,000 worth of in-kind support on each Fell Care day from volunteers and partners such as the National Trust and Fix the Fells.” Friends of the Lake District are inviting members of the public to support these important events by donating to their appeal to raise £18,000 to put on four Fell Care Days in 2015. Ruth continues: “Last year we ran two Fell Care Days which was brilliant. This year we would love to double the number of days we run to four, but we can’t do that without your support.”

Members of the public are invited to donate to the Fell Care appeal by visiting http://www.fld.org.uk/donations.html or phoning Friends of the Lake District directly on 01539 720788. If you would like to take part in a Fell Care Day as a volunteer, please email [email protected] to find out more information.

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We have concerns about the limited extent to which the impact of the proposals on the landscape has been assessed and significant concerns about the process that has been used to promote and develop the Masterplan document.

In a world of fast pace and change and more external pressures than ever before, it is easy to forget that landscape is all around us and supports us. This is why we created our Why Landscape Matters campaign. We are asking people to join with us and remember why our landscapes matter to us, celebrate and enjoy them, and support our work to keep them special.